I think we hear things at the right time for us.
Did that ever happen to you, that you are wrangling with something in your mind and then someone seems to answer the question for you without you asking?
Its been a strange week – firstly, can I thank all of you, who not alone bought my new book on preorder, but also shot it to #1 in new releases in it’s category where it’s been since launch day. Thank you so much.
If you haven’t pre-ordered and would like to do so – just click this link: mybook.to/SistersSouthernCross
The advance team have given it the thumbs up, so I can breathe again. Its different to my other books in the subject matter but I hope you enjoy it.
So as I said, odd week. I’ve been very busy with the pre-order and lots of other bits and bobs. Working with my wonderful cover artist on the cover for the third book in The Star and the Shamrock Series, sending my new Conor book to my editor for her magic touch, as well as all the normal admin but I was struggling a bit with positivity. I suppose we all feel it from time to time.
Our government are doing a wonderful job, I’m so proud of them, and of our little country, trying to manage the Covid 19 situation. We all get what needs to be done and why, but this week, the lockdown was hard for me.
My son, Conor, lives in Dublin and I haven’t seen him since last November, the longest time I’ve been apart from him since he was born so that’s hard. And I miss my friends, and my family here, you know yourself.
Sometimes I think it’s important just to let yourself have that, the sad feelings, not wallow of course, that doesn’t help anyone, but just to accept that this is hard for everyone and some days are easier than others.
Luckily I live in a nice part of this planet, and we have lots of lovely places to walk nearby so I walk a lot and listen to podcasts. The other day I was listening to Russell Brand’s one where he interviewed Liz Gilbert, the writer of Eat, Pray, Love and many other books, and I really needed to hear what she had to say.
She talked about how, before the industrial revolution, art and creativity were seen as a joyous gift from God, or whatever one’s perception of that is. Painting, composing, performing, writing, whatever, was something to be enjoyed by the person making the art, and it was a pleasurable, fun thing to do.
She described the creativity as like an unseen force, an entity with which once could play, and dance, as the artist and the force together, happily create something new. I love that image.
Along comes industrial revolution thinking and suddenly anything worth having was hard won, it hurt you, exhausted you, it was a battle, of you against the world and the end game was to beat the adversity and win.
So artists needed to be tormented souls, battling daily with the notes, the paint, the words. And the harder the battle, the better the work. Bizarre eh? Hard work was to be valued, and the idea that it should be pleasurable was nonsense.
I don’t usually battle, honestly, and I love what I do. But these days it is hard. The words don’t flow as they normally do. Like you, I’ve a lot on my mind. But I write anyway.
Is it always great? Definitely not.
Is it sometimes really bad? For sure.
But how do we get better at anything if we cant try it, do our best, and say to the world, here’s my best shot. I loved doing this, it brought me great joy, it’s not perfect, far from it, but it’s the best I can do and as time goes by I’ll hopefully improve and in the meantime, here’s the best I have.
It was an important message for me to hear because I was struggling. With creativity, with loneliness, with a bit of anxiety about the future, wishing I could meet my people for coffee or a glass of wine, worrying about people I love who are particularly vulnerable to this, missing the little things we used to take for granted, the stuff we all worry about.
So my message to you is just that. We are all just doing our best. We’re not doing it perfectly, and some days we are bad at it, but that’s ok. Creativity s a gift. And one that might bring you comfort in these troubled times. How ‘good’ you are at it is utterly irrelevant. If something give you joy, just do it. Don’t worry if you aren’t Bach or Bruce Springsteen, Picasso or Paulo Coelho. If come creative thing makes you feel better in these strange, strange times, just do it. Dust off those paints, pull out a pad and pen, pick up that instrument you want to play, not to produce a masterpiece, but just because it can make us feel better.
In the meantime, take care of you and yours.
Le grá agus buiochas,
Jean x